How I remember Barbara Parker

It?s not as if the genre lacks for insightful authors who entertain us and make us think with their sturdy stories.

But Barbara was so entwined in the South Florida mystery community that it?s hard to imagine Sleuthfests, panels at the various libraries and book fairs without her. She shared her knowledge of writing, of the genre and of publishing with a variety of published and struggling-to-be published writers. I think it?s fitting that instead of flowers, Barbara wanted people to send a donation to the Author Sponsorship Fund as a memorial to her. A writer and a supporter of other writers to the end. (Donations can be sent to the Author Sponsorship Fund, Mystery Writers of America, 1140 Broadway, New York, NY 10001.)

?Through her MWA meetings, her lunches and get togethers, she was a central figure to the writing community,? said Mitch Kaplan, owner of the Books & Books stores.

?At book signings, she would discuss her reviews, the letters she had received from readers, where she had traveled and what she had learned. She made her events a real checking in with what was going on with her.?

Outside of Florida, she was known as a supporter of the Mystery Writers of America, she had just begun her fourth year on the national board of the Mystery Writers of America and she was the chair of its membership committee for two years.

During the past year, the mystery genre has lost Tony Hillerman, Donald Westlake, James Crumley and Ed Hoch.

While I had met each of these authors, I knew Barbara and often was on panels with her.

Frankly, each of those authors has made more of an impact on the genre than Barbara, opening the door for new and different stories.

Hillerman ushered in the regional mystery and gave permission for authors to write about other cultures.

Crumley will forever be remembered as penning one of the best opening sentences ever.

But Barbara was South Florida?s. And that makes all the difference.

As her sister Laura Parker told me, ?Even though Barbara was born in the Carolinas, her roots were in South Florida. She believed strongly in supporting independent booksellers, like Books and Books in Coral Gables and Murder on the Beach in Delray Beach. Mitchell Kaplan's Books and Books held a special place in her heart. Her career and the bookstore's success grew alongside one another, in a parallel sort of way. And it always felt like home.?

The best tribute to Barbara Parker would be for authors to continue to write even stronger novels; for readers to continue to read ? and buy ? mysteries, including Barbara?s novels as well as many, many other authors. And for critics to continue to judge novels fairly and honestly.

Mystery authors write about death all the time.

Mystery fans read about death all the time. It?s what both groups do. That?s because they are writing ? and reading ? about absolutes. The novels are about order into chaos, chaos into order. The deaths are a metaphor for this.

But there are no absolutes when someone we know dies. It?s just a sense of loss.

Journalists are trained to be objective about the people we cover. And I have never had a problem with doing that. It doesn?t matter whether you are on a nodding basis with the people you cover or know them well enough to ask how they are doing. There is a sense a distance, of a wall you build, a line in the sand that is not crossed.

You can do that and yet still be human and still like the people who are a part of what you cover.

The trick is not to let your personal feelings interfere in the job.

To never allow anyone?s personality ? good or bad ? to enter into your judgment.

In Barbara?s case, she made it easy. She wrote such good books.

A reception to celebrate the life of author Barbara Parker will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday March 21 at the Harbour House Condominiums, 10275 Collins Ave., Bal Harbour. Ms. Parker, a best-selling mystery writer who lived in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, died March 7 in Boca Raton. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations to help writers. Donations can be sent to the Author Sponsorship Fund, Mystery Writers of America, 1140 Broadway, New York, NY 10001.